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Man Sues TSA For $5 Million Following Peanut Butter Arrest

An Arizona man who was arrested at the behest of the TSA, following a
wisecrack over a jar of peanut butter is suing the federal agency for
$5 million.

Frank Hannibal, 50, was detained and dragged from LaGuardia Airport
recently by police after a run-in with TSA agents over the jar of
gourmet sandwich spread.

“The liquid oil that separated from the peanut butter had them baffled,” Hannibal told the New York Daily News.

Hannibal then commented to his wife and children that “They’re
looking to confiscate my explosives,” as TSA agents inspected the
16-ounce jar of “Crazy Richards” chunky peanut butter.

TSA screener Edwin Sanchez, overheard Hannibal’s remark, did not see
the funny side, and immediately called the cops, according to the court
complaint.

Hannibal spent the next 24 hours in a cell, during which time he was
fed a peanut butter sandwich by cops who later charged him with the
felony of “falsely reporting an incident”.

“It sounds laughable now but at the time to be led out of there like
a terrorist was unbelievable,” Hannibal tells the Daily News. “My
whole life was up in the air. It was a nightmare. My children were
overwhelmed. It was crazy.”

Hannibal has brought a $5-million-dollar lawsuit against the TSA
worker and the Port Authority officer who arrested him, all over a $7
confectionary which was returned to him upon his release from jail.

“It’s a sorry state of affairs in this country when sarcasm is
considered a felony,” his attorney, Alan D. Levine of Queens, noted,
adding that TSA agents need to act with common sense in such
situations.

This is not an isolated incident. The TSA has a history of concentrating on looking out for cakes and pies, as well as sauces, oils and vinegars.

Peanut butter-loving flier seeks $5 million from TSA worker and Port Authority cop for putting him in sticky situation

Frank Hannibal is suing after LaGuardia Airport security imprisoned him for not taking his 'explosive' joke when screeners questioned his oily sandwich spread.

Frank Hannibal was arrested at LaGuardia Airport for joking his peanut may be explosive.

Take a jar of fancy peanut butter, add a dumb joke about explosives at airport security, and you’ve got the makings of a nutty federal lawsuit.

A former New Yorker is suing a TSA worker at LaGuardia Airport and a Port Authority cop for $5 million after they busted him for trying to bring a jar of Crazy Richard’s peanut butter on the plane.

Frank Hannibal claims in a complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court that he wound up in the sticky situation when the screener noticed the layer of oil atop his gourmet peanut butter — and ordered him out of the line.

The TSA worker, identified in the papers as Edwin Sanchez, overheard Hannibal, apparently didn’t get the joke — and called the cops.

Minutes later, Officer Spencer Newman slapped the cuffs on Hannibal and charged him with falsely reporting an incident, a felony.

James S. Wood

The layer of oil in Crazy Richard's all-natural peanut butter got into Hannibal into sticky situation.

Hannibal said he spent the next 25 hours in a lockup.

Adding insult to injury, Hannibal — an admitted peanut butter snob who said the 16-ounce jar that retails for about $6.99 — said the prison chow consisted of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

“The jelly looked like pus, the peanut butter like God knows what and the bread was hard as a rock," Hannibal, 50, told the Daily News.

Hannibal, who lived in Harlem at the time and now lives in Arizona, said he was eventually allowed to leave and the Queens district attorney declined to prosecute him.

But he still hasn’t gotten over the incident.

“It sounds laughable now but at the time to be led out of there like a terrorist was unbelievable,” Hannibal said. “My whole life was up in the air. It was a nightmare. My children were overwhelmed. It was crazy.”

LaGuardia screeners don't have much of a sense of humor. A former New Yorker is suing them for $5 million after he joked his oily peanut butter may be explosive.

Conditions in the lockup were, in Hannibal’s words, deplorable. He said he was threatened at one point by another prisoner over the use of a pay phone.

Hannibal said the peanut butter that landed him in a jam was confiscated by the cops, but he was able to retrieve it after his release from jail.

“I ate it,” he admitted.

The TSA prohibits passengers from carrying on liquids in containers larger than three ounces to prevent the possibility of a liquid explosive being brought aboard a jetliner.

“The liquid oil that separated from the peanut butter had them baffled,” Hannibal said.

His lawyer, Alan D. Levine of Queens, said all this could have been avoided if airport authorities exercised some common sense.

“It’s a sorry state of affairs in this country when sarcasm is considered a felony,” Levine said.

A Port Authority spokesman said they have no comment because the agency had not yet been served with the court papers.

ANYONE with any kind of authority should always engage their brain first. Thoughtless responses to insignificant things is NEVER the proper response...but let's punish the guy who KNEW something so common as peanut butter and oil actually seperate. It was apparently way too complicated for the average TSA agent.

We should honestly be objecting that anyone that stupid has ANY control over our lives. Instead we defend them and their idiotic behavior with "but da terrorists", who have won.

Quoting Kylie819:

What an idiot. My 11-year-old knows better than to joke about such things at the airport.

And it is not the TSA's job to interpret sarcasm. When they hear those trigger words, they must act.

Either way, he was stupid. Do not make jokes or any comments about bombs and planes (or while about to get on a plane) no matter what you are thinking in your head. Keep it in your head. It is rule number one for not drawing attention to yourself.

It is ridiculous that the TSA is so out of control, and also so ignorant. Who doesn't know that oil separates from natural peanut butter. And yes, many knives and guns have gone straight through. They are hiring idiots at the TSA, which ought to be shut down.

If they find in his favor maybe thet will grant him a penny, and then charge him court costs for wasting the courts time for such foolishness.

Quoting punky3175:

It sounds like he's just after the money.

Quoting coolmommy2x:

I agree with you. And $5 million? Really?

Quoting punky3175:

Sorry but he's an idiot. There is a time and place for sarcasm. Standing in line at an airport being inspected by TSA is NOT that time or place. It's been 11 years - you'd think it would be common sense not to make such a comment in this situation. I hope he gets laughed out of the court room.

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